expansion optimism abundance

Archives

Random Stuff (Mostly Yards and Food)

Yesterday we went to a barbecue in Wheat Ridge. The house was fantastic. Built in the 40s, not updated since who knows when. Inhabited by artists with excellent taste and amazing light fixtures. I love houses that haven’t been updated and don’t have things like granite or travertine tile. I’m always saying I want to find a house that hasn’t been updated since the 70s and live in it. But the best thing about the house was the gigantic yard. I just looked it up: 15,000 square feet. For reference, our lot is approximately 1/5 that size. It was like paradise. I want to move to Wheat Ridge. In theory, I mean. It would be great to have an amazing yard (Think of how much food we could grow!) but I’d end up being annoyed when it took 15 or 20 minutes to get somewhere instead of 5 and we couldn’t bike to City Park. Still, it’s fun to dream.

What do you do when you’re newly vegan and are invited to a barbecue by people you don’t know very well? You bring something amazing, like this Chipotle Mac & Cheese With Roasted Brussel Sprouts. This is ridiculously delicious, even if you replace 1/4 of the cashews with almonds because you don’t have enough cashews and use broccoli (fried in a cast iron pan if at all possible) because you can’t find brussel sprouts. We brought a giant bowl and it was devoured. As luck would have it, Ben squirreled some away for our lunches today, so I have this to look forward to as I plow through my super-exciting Monday morning. I could eat this every week. It could replace pizza. I’m not even exaggerating. You really can’t go wrong with any recipe from the Post Punk Kitchen.

This vegan almond feta is awesome, although next time I might add more salt (it was super salty before baking but mellowed out a lot after, and if there’s one thing I love about feta it’s the saltiness). I didn’t bother removing the almond skins or straining in cheesecloth.

Here’s my default smoothie: 1/2 to 3/4 cup hemp or almond milk, one frozen banana (broken into chunks before freezing), a heaping 1/3 cup oatmeal (regular [not instant] and raw — no need to prepare the oatmeal), a big tablespoon of peanut butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a drizzle of agave nectar — blend on high for a very long time so you don’t end up with banana chunks. When I bring this to work, I store it in the freezer until after I’ve finished my coffee (peanut butter and coffee do not go together) then stir well and eat with a spoon.

Hemp milk: Based on this recipe, I use: 1 cup hemp seeds, 3 cups water, 2 tablespoons agave nectar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Hemp milk is the best because it’s yummy and it’s super easy because you don’t have to soak or strain anything.